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Version 9 Version 10
Midterms: Trump hails 'tremendous success' despite losing House to Democrats – live Midterms: Trump attacks CNN reporter as 'rude, terrible person' – live
(35 minutes later)
“In the House Republicans dramatically outperformed historical precedents,” Trump says, falsely. It’s possible to point to worse midterm elections for Republicans in the House but not recently. Trump is asked about last night’s losses, which he denies, then says they were a good thing:
I thought it was a very close to complete victory. When you look at it from the standpoint of negotiation. When you look at it from the standpoint of dealmaking.
Trump is asked whether he’ll ask Mike Pence to be his running mate in 2020. He calls on Pence to stand up and hands him the vice president rose (verbally) which Pence accepts. Trump-Pence 2020.
Back to Russia:
“I could fire everybody right now, but I don’t want to stop it, because politically I don’t want to stop it.... I could end it right now. I could say that investigation is over. It’s a disgrace. It’s an embarrassment to our country.”
Trump is asked what he learned from the election result.
He replies:
I think people like me. I think people like the job I’m doing.
Trump is yelling at reporters including April Ryan to sit down.
Now Trump calls on a woman reporter who asks him whether the election of two Muslim American women to Congress represents a rejection of his message.
Trump says employment numbers for minorities are high.
This Trump news conference is going off the rails. President is losing his cool and snapping at reporters, from @Acosta to @PeterAlexander to @AprilDRyan.
Representative Ryan Costello, one of the incumbent Republican losers called out by Trump, describes having to bite his lip “more times” and says he is angered to his core:
To deal w harassment & filth spewed at GOP MOC’s in tough seats every day for 2 yrs, bc of POTUS; to bite ur lip more times you’d care to; to disagree & separate from POTUS on principle & civility in ur campaign; to lose bc of POTUS & have him piss on u. Angers me to my core.
Trump is challenged by CNN on his [Trump’s] characterization of migrants in Central America as an “invasion.”
Did you demonize immigrants as a political ploy?
Trump denies it. He says the migrants were an “invasion.”
Jim Acosta of CNN points out Trump’s campaign had an ad of migrants climbing a wall. “They weren’t actors,” Trump says.
“I think you should let me run the country, you run CNN,” Trump says.
Trump says he’s not concerned about Russia because it’s a hoax.
Then he attacks Acosta who is trying to ask a follow up.
“CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a very rude .. person.. the way you treat Sarah Huckabee is...”
Now Acosta and Trump are in a war of words. Trump says CNN is fake news and as such the enemy of the people.
The room falls briefly into chaos before the Q&A rubric is re-established.
Trump is asked what he’d do if the Democrats try to obtain his tax returns.
He says “people don’t understand tax returns” and his returns are super complicated and processed by top firms and besides summaries he’s submitted (?) are more comprehensive.
Also his company is huge and continuously under audit - the same excuse he was making two years ago: “And it is a very big company, far bigger than you would even understand.”
“Nobody turns over a return when you’re under audit,” Trump says – as if it ever comes up.
Question about Jeff Sessions’ future.
“I’d rather answer that at a little different time. We’re looking at a lot of different things including Cabinet... for the most part I’m extremely happy with my cabinet. I think Mike Pompeo fit in beautifully.”
How about your interior secretary?
“We’re looking at that.”
Trump opens it for questions.
First question is about bipartisanship. “Do you really believe given what the relationship has been like that that will happen?”
Trump: “I think there’s a very good chance that it will happen.”
Will you have to compromise? Will you be subpoenaed?
“If that happens,” Trump says, “then we’re going to do the same thing, and government comes to a halt, and I would blame them.”
“It really could be a beautiful bipartisan type of situation,” Trump says. “We have a lot of things in common on infrastructure ... healthcare. There are a lot of great things we could do together.”
Trump says he gives Nancy Pelosi “a great deal of credit”.
“Hopefully we can all work together,” he says. He names infrastructure, trade, prescription drug costs ...
“If the Republicans won and let’s say we held on by two or one or three, it would have been very hard” to hold a majority, he says. “That puts us in a very bad position. In other words, had we kept ... it puts us in a very tough position.”
He does not seem to understand the nature of congressional leadership and the majority party’s ability to run committees, conduct oversight and advance a legislative agenda.
Trump suggesting losing the House is better than having a very narrow majority. Seriously. You can’t make this up.
“Now we have a much easier path because the Democrats will come to us ... and we’ll negotiate.”
Then his biggest whopper yet: “The Democrats stick together well.”
“I really respect what Nancy said last night about bipartisanship and ... uniting.
“I can see it being extremely good politically because I think I’m better at that than they are.”
“In the House Republicans dramatically outperformed historical precedents,” Trump falsely says. It’s possible to point to worse midterm elections for Republicans in the House but not recently.
Trump says the governor’s races were great too, which is hard to square with the fact of the Democrats’ having picked up seven statehouses but voilà.Trump says the governor’s races were great too, which is hard to square with the fact of the Democrats’ having picked up seven statehouses but voilà.
The voters “clearly rebuked the Senate Democrats for their handling of the Kavanaugh hearing,” Trump says, which is a theory Republicans are clearly excited about this morning. The voters “clearly rebuked the Senate Democrats for their handling of the Kavanaugh hearing”, Trump says, which is a theory Republicans are clearly excited about this morning.
Trump says “great judges excelled... we have a list of people that were fantastic.” Trump says “great judges excelled ... we have a list of people that were fantastic”.
Trump is now reading a list of victorious House Republicans. He dwells on Andy Barr’s victory in Kentucky’s sixth – “and that one I did do.”
Trump says candidates who declined to campaign with him “did very poorly” – then he names a few. Carlos Curbelo, Mia Love...
“Mia Love gave me no love and she lost. Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia,” Trump says.
He says Barbara Comstock “didn’t want the embrace.” Bob Hugin, John Faso he names. Calling out Republicans who didn’t run with him.
Trump is reading a list of Senate races Republicans won.
He looks bored with this part.
Trump begins. He starts with three brags about how great the night was and then offers three excuses for what went wrong.
“Big day,” “incredible day”, historic day, “midtown and midterm year”, he says, despite a “dramatic funding disadvantage, “very hostile media coverage, to put it mildly,”, and a “staggering number of House retirements.”
He points out that the candidates he campaigned with mostly won. “This vigorous campaigning stopped the blue wave they were talking about... if we didn’t do such campaigning it could’ve been.”
They were the largest Senate gains for a president’s party in a president’s first midterms since 1962, Trump points out. No arguing there. He says the Republicans gained most likely three seats.
Still waiting for Trump. Here are some popular vote totals to tide you over:
Democrats (39.9m) and Republicans (39.2m) received about the same amount of votes for governor. (Again, the D total will grow some because California.) n the Senate, Dem candidates have 44.5m votes and GOP ones 32.5m so far.
Multiple analysts are observing that based on the latest returns, it appears as if Democratic senator Jon Tester is on track to hold his seat in Montana, which Trump won by 20 points and where Trump campaigned against him.
Sen. Tester has grabbed back a lead! (Remaining counties still blue-friendly; we'll see) #MTSen pic.twitter.com/vJ2Vgz2LLC
As we wait for Trump, what’s on your mind?
From the comments:
Now then Donald, about those tax returns...
A modest ask...
Oh poor him.. he’s being “harassed”. He has harassed and bullied and hurt many people over the years and long before he was running for president. But as is the case with every bully, they have no self awareness. They just want attention and worship.
Trump is about to get a lot of attention...
I just wonder what Trump has to do to lose support. How big does the scandal have to be before the tide turns against him, or will it ever? At the moment my money is on two terms.I can't deny I'm disappointed by the Democrats' showing despite winning the House. They need a figure head.
Who’s the candidate to beat Trump?
I love McConnells threat. Don't complain about sexual assault or the GOP will get even. Just because you are immoral Mitch doesn't mean everyone else is. We will never roll over.
It’s true; what is touting the supposed “Kavanaugh effect” supposed to achieve, for Republicans? Team spirit perhaps.
Trump’s late.
Trump to speak. Here’s a video stream:
From Hillary Clinton’s 2016 communications director:
It’s a brighter Wednesday in NYC than the one I lived thru two years ago. If I had to live these last two years over again, I would be really sad. Much love & 🙏 to all Americans who made this a better Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/jrzTvntwkF
"The change we need won’t come from one election alone – but it is a start," President Obama says in a statement on last night's results. "And I’m hopeful that going forward, we’ll begin a return to the values we expect in our public life." pic.twitter.com/CLY6oW4qW9